The Washington bee., 1887-02-19

nation, known TO tne Oentte,
than that contained in the Mes
sage of the President OF the
United States? What ''ofher"
official information do these in-
nocent and unsophisticated Sena-
tors require? Shall Moses rise
from the dead, shall an angel pro-
claim from the heights of heaven?
The clouds break at last and we
discover that these Senators do
know something. They know
without being officially Informed
that Frederick Douglass is a col
ored man, and "they cannot for
bear to apprise the President"
lat be is the most distinguished
representative of the colored race,
not only in this country, but in
the world" and further that j. @.
Matthews is "an unknown and
obscure partisan"
Here Is an official document Is
! sued with the high seal of the
| American Senate, by Senators
| whose business should be legisla
| ton and not laudation or detama-
ton that establishes a censureship
of character upon the merits and
demerits OF the individual Negro
citizen. Has it come to this that
we are to be officially informed,
by the August Senate, that this
Negro is great aud that other
Negro is an obscure partisan, thai
in Douglass resides the Negro
race, and when he dies the race
dies in him and with him? In
this, the United States Senate be-
comes the supreme architect and
arbiter OF the destiny of each in
dividual Negro, and, Senator In
gals will hereafter inform US
which Negro is great and which
obscure.
But they cap the climax when
they say, that Matthews. "had
never heen a slave and therefore
represents the enfranchised race
only by the accident of color"
1t is the same accident that aflicts
these senators and gives them the
opportunity to misrepresent the
people by such samples of dema-
goguery.
This statement is seditious, it
smacks a little of the 'horrors of
San Domingo" when the blacks
were arrayed against the mulat-
toes, and it further takes US back
to the old slave times when the |
slave Negro was taught to despise
the free Negro. Here is the insin-
uatlon ofcaste among the Negroes.
The slave born are to be favored, |
the free born are to be despised.
1t means to dissociate the educat-
ed and illiterate Negro, to play
upon the prejudice OF the unfor-
tunate, to instil the false idea that
there is merit In the bare fact of
being born slave.
There were 100000 flee Ne
groes before the war and natural
increase since that time has, at
least, added 100000 free born
Negroes to our population; one
half of the 100000 ex-slaves have
died, and the remainder must In,
evitably pass away, thus leaving
the free born Negro population
vastly preponderating in numbers.
Ii according to the edict OF these
senators the representative char
acter of Negro must be based
upon the fact of his having
Or not having been a slave
Matthews belongs to the most nu-
merOus class and becomes there's
fore the most representative
character, as between himself and
Fred Douglass.
1t Is too late, we have a new
south and a new Negro and the
new Negro is coming forth in
IN platoons of ten thousand deep
rom the colleges and schools of
the Nation. with reverence for the
past, but with all his energies bent
On the prospect of the future.
You cannot explain to this post
bellum product, why white repub-
leans "Shake hands over the
bloody. Chasm," welcome into
National Citizenship and confirm
for the highest places men who
boast of their cord to destroy
he Nation, and, at the same time
these republicans, try to crush the
Negro who by his political action
tries to soften the asperities OF